Michael Jackson's Ghosts
| Michael Jackson's Ghosts | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Stan Winston |
| Produced by | Michael Jackson Stan Winston David Nicksay |
| Screenplay by | Stan Winston Mick Garris |
| Story by | Michael Jackson Stephen King Mick Garris |
| Starring | Michael Jackson |
| Music by | Michael Jackson (songs) Nicholas Pike(score) |
| Cinematography | Russell Carpenter |
| Edited by | Marcus Manton |
MJJ Productions Kingdom Entertainment | |
| Distributed by | SMV Enterprises |
| |
| 39 minutes | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
Michael Jackson's Ghosts is a short film starring Michael Jackson, written by Stephen King and Mick Garris, and directed by Stan Winston. It was filmed and first screened in and released along with select prints of the film Thinner. It was released as promo a year later internationally on LaserDisc, VHS and Video CD. Jackson plays five roles.
Ghosts tells the story of an eccentric man with supernatural powers being forced out of a small town by its judgmental mayor. The film includes a series of dance routines performed by Jackson, set to the songs "2 Bad", "Is It Scary" and "Ghosts", taken from Jackson's albums HIStory () and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix ().
Plot[edit]
The mayor of Normal Valley leads a mob to the mansion of the maestro, who has been entertaining local children with magic tricks and ghost stories. The children assure the parents the Maestro has done nothing wrong, but the mayor intends to banish him as a "freak".
The maestro challenges the mayor to a "scaring contest": the first to become scared must leave. He performs magic tricks and dance routines with a ghostly horde, then possesses the mayor, forcing him to dance. After the performance, the maestro agrees to leave and crumbles to dust, but returns as an enormous demon. Terrified, the mayor leaps through the window. The families agree that they had fun and allow the maestro to stay.
Production[edit]
The project began production in under the title Is it Scary? with director Mick Garris, planned for release in conjunction with the family comedy film Addams Family Values.[1] Following contract disputes, the Addams Family connection was dropped. Stan Winston, who was previously in charge of makeup and visual effects, took over as director when Garris left to make the Shining miniseries.[1] According to Garris, Ghosts was "the most expensive music video ever made" at around $15 million dollars, all paid for by Jackson.[2]
Cast[edit]
- Michael Jackson as Maestro / Mayor / Mayor Ghoul / Superghoul / Skeleton
- Pat Dade as Pat
- Amy Smallman as Amy
- Edwina Moore as Edwina
- Dante Beze as Dante
- Seth Smith as Seth
- Kendall Cunningham as Kendall
- Loren Randolph as Loren
- Heather Ehlers as Heather
- Michael Balderrama, Troy Burgess, Nikki Pantenburg, John "Havic" Gregory, Travis Payne, Michael Gregory, Mia Pitts, Heather Harley, Charlie Schmidt, Paula Harrison, Joie Shettler, Shawnette Heard, Anthony Talauega, Yuko Sumida Holley, Richmond Talauega, Cristan Judd, Lisa Thompson, Richard Kim, Mic Thompson, Dorie Konno, Stacey Walker, Kelly Konno, Michelle Weber, Suzi McDonald, Jason Yribar, and Courtney Miller as Dancers
Songs[edit]
Release[edit]
The film was screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival.[3] At over 38 minutes long, it held the Guinness world record for the longest music video until , when it was eclipsed by Pharrell Williams' "Happy".[4]. In , the film was available on Jackson’s YouTube channel from October 29th to November 1st.
Reception[edit]
According to AV Club writer Nathan Rabin, Ghosts is a "staggeringly blunt" allegory for Jackson's life and pop culture status. Rabin attributed its failure to Jackson's place in the public imagination at the time, in light of Jackson's recent divorce from Lisa Marie Presley and the child molestation allegations against him.[5]
Deluxe collector box set[edit]
In December , towards the end of promotion for Michael Jackson's remix albumBlood on the Dance Floor, a Deluxe Collector Box Set of Ghosts was released only in Europe. The box set included a VHS release of Jackson's Ghosts mini-movie on home video and his Blood on the Dance Floor album on CD, as well as a CD maxi single named the Limited Edition Minimax CD. "On the Line" was the first track on this single.[6]
"On the Line"[edit]
"On the Line" is a song co-written and produced by Babyface. Michael Jackson performs the track and is also credited in its writing (on the writing credits of The Ultimate Collection). It was originally recorded by Jackson for the Spike Lee movie Get on the Bus (), but it was not featured on the soundtrack.[6][7]
The full-length version of the song was released on November 16, as an album track of his limited edition box set The Ultimate Collection.[6][8]
Personnel[edit]
Track listing[edit]
Limited Edition Minimax CD(EPC 2)[11]
- "On the Line" (Short Version) –
- "Ghosts" (Mousse T's Radio Rock Singalong Remix) –
- "Is It Scary" (DJ Greek's Scary Mix) –
-